Arrivederci, everybody!

[Roman Legion]

Exactly two weeks from today, on May 28th, Romey will be taking an extended leave from Toon Zone. How extended, you ask? About three months. That's right... three months. I shan't be back until August 15th.

Several folks here already know all the details, but this is probably fresh news to most. Before they'll let us graduate, my college requires the completion of several projects. Big projects. Since January, I've been hard at work on just such a project. What kind of project...?

I've been fortunate enough to be one a couple hundred students that this particular university sends out internationally each year. More specifically, I'm one out of 23 students being sent over 4,000 miles away to Italy! Woo hoo!

For eight weeks of my stay, I'll be working for the Environmental Department of the City of Venice, engineering a custom Urban Forestry system and compiling a complete database of every tree in the city. (Although, whether or not there *are* any trees is still up to debate... ehm.) Incidentally, I'm the team's "computer guy". ;-)

That pretty much explains why I haven't been around much lately. The work to get this far has been insane. My project team and I have filed untold piles of paperwork, struggled through three extra classes on top of our normal workload, arranged flight-plans, made countless presentations, and compiled a 77 page project proposal. Four hours of sleep a night has been average for us all. But that's all behind me. Now all I have to do is pack up, make sure all last-minute things are taken care of, and off I go!

I will have minimal net access, so I'll try to keep in touch now and then while I'm gone, but most of the time I'll be pretty darn busy. And before I leave, I hope to leave ya'll with some nifty Toon Zone things from last March of this year and the summer of 2000. Plus, I'll have pics and stuff when I return, as well as a few animation related items. See you all around!

Wish me luck!

Romey
--Ciao per ora!

[don Jaime]

Well, you have fun, you lucky dog! I had my shot at Italy, but had to back out at the last minute. Eat some gelatto for me. We'll keep Billie waiting at the RPG for you, if it ever gets off the ground.

(First Colin, now Romey, which moderator will temporarily leave us next? I'll be making book soon....)

[James Harvey]

Have a good trip, Romey! Feel free to drop a line anytime.

[Sharklady]

Consider this an official Good Luck wish.

Have a taste of that Italian ice cream while you're there, Romey- I've heard good things about it.

[Nftnat]

Hmm, spumoni & tortoni. Heard of them, but I've never had the pleasure. Anyway, ciao, bon voyage & all that, Romey. Cya when we cya.

Sbo- d'oh! now he's got me doing it. This is your revenge for me sticking with Phar isn't it? *sigh*

Wish you well anyway.

[Danielle]

Wow, lucky you! Everyone's saying you should eat spumoni and fedecinni alfredo, and stuff like that. But you know what you really should have? A nice, big pizza!

[Roman Legion]

But personally, I'm looking forward to things like... 101 ways to cook squid! Never cooked squid before, but I'm gonna do some practice runs before I leave. Very versatile mollusk. Tasty too. =)

Romey
--Gonna have lots of cooking fun!

[Craig Marinaro]

Oh, joy! When you get back, I can challenge you to an Iron Chef-esque contest! I just have to find some nasal-sounding American guy to dub me, and I'll be all set!

So far, I've mastered the fine arts of making ham sandwiches and cooking split pea soup! I'll work on more while you're gone. I'll be a reg'lar Julia Childs when you get back! I'll even talk like her! Before I'm dubbed by the nasal-sounding American guy, naturally.

-C
Official ToonZone Short-Order Cook.

[Roman Legion]

"This split pea soup has such a wonderful bitter flavor, it reminds me of spring!" ;-)

BTW, have you caught "Good Eats" yet? I love that show. =)

Romey
--How 'bout that "Iron Chef" ep with the live eels? Spew! =X

(P.S. Thanks for all the good wishes so far, everybody!)

[Sharklady]

> Very versatile mollusk. <

Indeed! When I was working at a Texas McDonalds, I had at least three co-workers who were squids. And that summer I was working at the Smithsonian, there were two on the administration staff. Not to mention the one in charge of the belly-dancing class I took in Florida.

Who knows how many other professions the squids may have infiltrated by now?

[Craig Marinaro]

Oh, I do hope they don't come near any of my Official ToonZone positions! Those things adapt so easily to the work (not to mention working incredibly cheap, and making for great eye candy), I'd be fired in a second!

Heck, Harley has been looking for an excuse to let me go ever since that freak Egg McMuffin incident last month (which was entirely James' fault, but we all know how much Harl favors him...).

You'd think she'd have some mercy. I mean, I have nine kids (despite friends' warnings that eight was enough)...and seven brides (I got stuck supporting them all after my six brothers died)...and a dog!

Well, actually, I just watch the dog on Frasier every week. But I *FEEL* like he's part of the family! And besides, I have a coffee addiction to maintain! My tab is already near six hundred at the corner cafe...have some mercy!

Thus, I am starting a Save the Craig Petition! If you would like to see me continue in my current position, press 1. If you would like to see me get a hefty bonus, press 2. If you would like to see me starve to death, miserable and contrite, alone and repentant, banging on Harley's door for forgiveness, press 3. For more options or to speak to an operator, please hold.

(cue instrumental of a song about caterpillars falling in love)

-C
Will Work for Food.

[Nftnat]

A Canossa situation? Perish the thot! *1*

[Jack]

Bon voyage, don't forget to write, have fun in Italy, lucky dog. I've heard Venice is beautiful, good luck with the trees!




Jack
hopes the city doesn't sink while you're there.....

[don Jaime]

Simple rule, Romey: Cook it fast or stew it long. Otherwise it's like the rubber off a tennis shoe. And Alton Brown rocks, he should be challenging Morimoto instead of Bobby "the Booby" Flay. Jennifer Paterson (RIP) and Clarissa Dickson-Wright had a cool show, too.

I understand songbirds are considered good eating in the northern area. Not that I'd try any.

And I deny all knowledge about any Egg McMuffins. (3...3...3...3...3...3...3...3...3...3...3...3...3...3...3...3...3...3....)

[DR. BELCH]

...I've heard some amusing bloopers by people who get them mixed up with the...well, you know.

Romey:
"This split pea soup has such a wonderful bitter flavor, it reminds me of spring!"

If spring looked like baby spit-up....

I'm looking forward to things like... 101 ways to cook squid!...Very versatile mollusk.

Sharklady:
Indeed! When I was working at a Texas McDonalds, I had at least three co-workers who were squids.

I suspect but can't confirm that my third ex was part squid on her mother's side. This may explain her hatred of cats, being half-seafood and all. I've never worked with squids, but I was briefly employed under a jackass....

don Jaime: I understand songbirds are considered good eating in the northern area. Not that I'd try any.

I had quail once. Tasty, but not much meat on them. You can hold a whole bird in the palm of your hand and eat it like an apple.

Craig:
[Squids make] for great eye candy...

Mmmmmmmmmm...candied squids....

...I have nine kids ...and seven brides...and a dog!

I've got eleven dependents myself...my ex and ten bartenders.

...I have a coffee addiction to maintain! My tab is already near six hundred at the corner cafe...

He ain't kiddin', bub. Between him, the worms, and Lorelai Gilmore, the motor in the coffee machine at the WB commissary's shorted out three times this week!

Thus, I am starting a Save the Craig Petition!

Oh, I save Craigs all the time! I stick them in little books with cellophane pages, rather like stamps....

When [Romey returns], I can challenge [him] to an Iron Chef-esque contest...So far, I've mastered the fine arts of making ham sandwiches and cooking split pea soup! I'll work on more while you're gone. I'll be a reg'lar Julia Childs when you get back! I'll even talk like her!

I can already speak like Julia Child. If you need to bring in a ringer, I'll be waiting in the wings dressed in a kilt, working under the name The Drunken Scottish Chef. I make a meatloaf and potatoes au gratin that can bring a woman to...well, we'll just say "a state of bliss", and leave it at that. Though if we want to stay with the Italian scheme in honor of Romey's holiday, I'll whip up more of last night's chicken alfredo and add a modest side salad as an encore.

[Sharklady]

I call dibs on making the dessert!

I just discovered I can whip up a *really* good stacked-crepes-layered-with-chocolate-mousse concoction (the trick is to make the mousse with Godiva chocolate liquor and Scharffen Berger bittersweet chocolate.)

I put one together for my Dad's birthday, and he gave it a rave review (i.e; he had seconds, and then thirds.) (So did I.)

Ah, sweet mystery of life, at last I've baked you!

[Narfpinky]

Taking way too much time creating my four month calender. (15 days late =X )

Romey mentioned...
Several folks here already know all the details, but this is probably fresh news to most.

Aw, you mean I wasn't the only one? Poit!

Hmmmm, Italy...Italy. Oh, There are certain hand gestures one should never use:

Putting your hand in your mouth and pulling your ear with the other...

Flapping your hands over your head...

And, oh, this one's funny...flapping one hand on your head and pulling on your nose with the other, ha ha ha! Narf!

I will have minimal net access, so I'll try to keep in touch now and then while I'm gone, but most of the time I'll be pretty darn busy.

Hmmmm. My AIM Will be significantly quietier, troz.

And before I leave, I hope to leave ya'll with some nifty Toon Zone things from last March of this year and the summer of 2000. Plus, I'll have pics and stuff when I return, as well as a few animation related items.

Ooooo, what could it be?

Wish me luck!

Lotsaluck!


Narfpinky

[Roman Legion]

Oh, There are certain hand gestures one should never use.

Yeah, Italy seems to be big on hand gestures, from what I've studied. Sure, any culture has its own share of particulars and body motions, but in Italia, there seems to be an extra abundance. Now I may have never come across those specific offensive gestures, but P&tB has never led me wrong before, so I'll be sure to avoid 'em! ;-)

My AIM Will be significantly quietier, troz.

Aww... sorry 'bout that. But think of how busier it will afterward! Maybe I can hook you up with a few more people before I go, so maybe it won't be quite as lonely for ya over there.

But as for those surprises I mentioned, ya'll will just have to wait and see. But you, NarfPinky, might have just enough to go on...

Romey
--Thanks for the luck! =)

[DR. BELCH]

...that scene in "Around the World in 80 Narfs" was hilarious because there really are certain gestures that are benign here which are horribly offensive in parts of Europe.
Por ejemplo, if you make a circle with your thumb and forefinger, here it means "okay"...but there it means, [color=****]"You're an a**hole[/color]!"
A thumbs-up gesture in both Italy and parts of Turkey and Greece means [color=****] "stick it where the sun don't shine, buddy"[/color].
And don't unwittingly stick your thumb behind your incisors to rid them of food bits after dinner in someone's face...en Italia, it's equivalent to the American "bird".

[Nftnat]

I thot the thumb-biting sounded familiar. Check out Romeo & Juliet, Act 1, Scene 1. My Shakespeare professor explained it to us once.